Toy windmill and noisemaker



Jul 16, 1968 Hop LEE 3,392,481

TOY WINDMILL AND NOISEMAKER Filed Sept. 13, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

flT-TOENEY July 16, 1968 HOP LEE TOY WINDMILL AND NOISEMAKER 2 Sheets-Sheet :2

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INVENTOR. HOP LEE HTTOENEY United States Patent 3,392,481 TOY WINDMILL AND NOISEMAKER Hop Lee, 779 Commercial St., San Francisco, Calif. 94108 Filed Sept. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 486,988 1 Claim. (Cl. 4658) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy windmill and noisemaker which comprises a frame and handle, the frame rotatably carrying a shaft that has a windmill mounted at one end for rotating the shaft. Radially extending paddles are carried by the shaft and these actuate drumsticks that beat upon a metal drum supported by the frame. A rubber band is stretched across the two side members of the frame and supports the drumsticks and causes them to strike the drum after they have been released by the paddles. The band can be moved to make the drumsticks inoperative.

An object of my invention is to provide a toy Windmill and noisemaker that can be sold in disassembled kit form and then be reassembled by the purchaser. No tools or fastening means are required for assembling the parts to form the complete toy. The frame parts when assembled, rotatably support the windmill shaft and also support the drum in a particular position on the frame. The windmill has a central sleeve that may be mounted on the splined end of the windmill shaft. In this way the windmill is keyed to the shaft so that a rotation of the windmill by air being forced through it, will rotate the shaft.

An elastic band is connectible to the frame and supports a pair of drumsticks in such a manner that they will have their hammer ends yieldingly held in contact with the drum. The windmill shaft carries paddles that will intermittently strike the opposite ends of the drumsticks for swinging the hammer ends away from the drum when the windmill rotates. When the paddles release the drumsticks, the elasticity of the rubber band will swing the hammer ends against the drum for beating it. The result is that a rotation of the windmill by air will rotate the shaft and paddles for causing the latter to actuate the drumsticks and make a beating noise on the drum. It is possible to adjust the elastic band on the frame for causing the drumsticks to strike the drum with different intensities for controlling the loudness of the noise produced or for moving the elastic band into a position where the shaft paddles will not strike the drumsticks and no noise will be produced even though the shaft and paddles are being rotated by the windmill.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continues. The novel features of the invention will be set forth in the appended claim.

Drawings For a better understanding of my invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the device with the handle being broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse section through the device and is taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an isometric phantom view of the frame and further illustrates in full line exploded view the various parts of the frame.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of that portion of the frame that rotatably carries the Windmill shaft, portions of the shaft being shown in section.

FIGURE 5 is a still further enlarged transverse section of the windmill shaft and illustrates the stub shaft being keyed thereto. It is taken along the line 5--5 of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the stub shaft on the same scale as FIGURE 5 and shows the windmill operatively connected thereto.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse section along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 4 and is on the same scale as this figure and illustrates the paddles on the windmill shaft in their relation to the drumsticks. It further illustrates how the drumsticks are supported and their relation to the drum.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes, or modifications, may be made within the scope of the annexed claim without departing from the spirit thereof.

Detailed description In carrying out my invention, I provide a toy windmill frame indicated generally at A in FIGURE 1. This frame is of the knockdown type and it comprises one side member 1 that is preferably rectangular in cross-section and it has recesses 2 and 3 therein that extend substantially halfway across the width of the frame. Upper and lower cross frame members 4 and 5 have recesses 6 and 7 respectively near one end for receiving the side member 1. The recesses 2 and 3 in turn in the side member 1 receive the upper and lower cross frame members 4 and 5.

Another side member 8 parallels the side member 1 and it has recesses 9 and 10 for receiving the opposite ends of the upper and lower cross frame members 4 and 5. The members 4 and 5 have additional recesses 11 and 12 near their opposite ends respectively for receiving the side member 8. When the frame members are assembled they will form the rectangular frame A and the member 1 extends below the lower cross member 5 to provide a handle portion B. When the frame members are assembled the opposite faces of the frame will lie in two planes that are parallel to each other. No fastening means or tools are necessary to secure the frame members to gether because friction alone will suflice. The frame members can be disassembled if desired. FIGURE 3 shows a phantom dot-dash isometric view of the frame A, and an exploded view in full lines.

I mount a windmill indicated generally at C on a stub shaft G and this shaft is connected to a paddle-carrying shaft D, in a manner presently described. The shaft D is rotatably supported in the side members 1 and 8 of the frame A. The paddle-carrying or main shaft D is preferably made of plastic and it carries two integral pairs of paddles E and F. The paddles E project radially from opposite sides of the main shaft D and have their ends chamfered at 13, see FIGURE 7, for a purpose hereinafter described. In like manner the pair of paddles F extend radially from the main shaft D and are integral therewith. The outer ends 14 of the paddles F are chamfered. The plane of the pair of panels E and the two pairs of paddles are spaced apart.

The main shaft D has a reduced conical end 15, see FIGURE 4, that is received in a conical recess 16 provided on the inner edge of the side frame member 8. This construction permits one end of the main shaft D to be rotatably carried by the side frame member 8. The other end of the main shaft D is disposed adjacent to the inner edge of the frame side member 1 and this shaft end has a noncircular bore 17, see also FIGURE 5, which is axially aligned with the axis of the shaft. The stub shaft G has a cylindrical portion 18 that is rotatably supported in a .cylindrical bore 1811 provided in the side frame member 1. The stub shaft also has a noncircular portion 19 that is received in the noncircular bore 17 of the main shaft D. For example, the noncircular portion 19 of the stub shaft G may be triangular in cross section as shown in 3 FIGURE 5, and this portion is received in the noncircular bore 17 which is also triangular in cross section. In this way the stub shaft G is keyed to the main shaft D so that a rotation of the stub shaft G will also rotate the main shaft D.

A disc 20, see FIGURE 4, is provided near the outer end of the stub shaft G and is preferably integral therewith. The outer cylindrical end 21 of the stub shaft is splined as at 21a for a purpose now to be described, see also FIGURE 6.

The windmill C is made from a blank of flexible material and this blank is formed into four blade portions 22, see FIGURE 2, that have extended ends 22a, see FIG- URE 1, that are permanently secured together by an eyelet 23. The center of the windmill has an opening 24, see FIGURE 4, that receives a two-part eyelet fastener H. One ring-shaped part of the fastener H has prongs 25a that pierce through the center portion of the windmill C so that the ring-shaped part 25 will be concentric with the center opening 24 in the windmill. The other ringshaped part 26 of the eyelet H is placed on the opposite surface of the windmill from the part 25. The other ringshaped part 26 has a groove for receiving the bent prongs 25a and in this way the two parts 25 and 26 are permanently secured together.

The two-part eyelet fastener H is of standard construction and forms no part of my invention except that the part 26 has an inner rim 27 with radially extending slots 27a therein. The inner diameter of the rim 27 is of a size to make a frictional connection with the outer cylindrical end 21 of the stub shaft G. The radial slots 27a will provide edges in the rim that will engage with the splines 21a and frictionally connect the windmill C to the stub shaft G. A rotation of the windmill C when coming in contact with the air will rotate the stub shaft G and the main shaft D.

The purpose of the main shaft D is not only to support the stub shaft G, and the windmill C, but also to carry the pairs of paddles E and F. A rotation of these paddles caused by the rotation of the stub shaft D will bring them successively into contact with the upper ends of a pair of drumsticks J and K. The upper ends of the drumsticks are chamfered and extend through openings 28 and 29 provided in a flat rubber endless band L. The looped portions 30 and 31 of the rubber band L are passed around the side frame members 1 and 8. The side frame member 1 has an inclined slot 32 for receiving a part of the looped portion 30 of the rubber band while the side member 8 has an inclined slot 33 for receiving a portion of the other looped end 31 of the rubber band, see FIGURE 1.

The lower ends of the drumsticks J and K are provided with heads 34 and 35 respectively and these are designed to beat against a metal drum indicated generally at M to make a noise. The drum M has an annular flange 36, see FIGURE 7, and the edge of the flange is turned back on itself to provide a smooth rim at 36a. The flange 36 is provided with three openings 37 that are spaced 90 apart.

A tubular member 38 is mounted at the center of the lower cross frame member 5 and it has an outwardly flaired end 38a that is designed to enter the central one of the three openings 37 provided in the drum flange 36. FIGURE 3 shows the tubular member 38 and further shows another tubular member 39 that is mounted on the inner edge of the side frame member 8. This tubular member 39 is of the same type as the tubular member 38 and is removably received in one of the side openings 37 in the flange 36 and is for the purpose of securing the flange to the side frame. FIGURE 3 shows a third tubular member 40 that is mounted on the inner edge of the side frame member 1 and this is removably receivable in the third opening in the annular flange 36 of the drum M. The three tubular members 38, 39 and 40 will support the drum M in an inclined position in the frame A as clearly shown in FIGURE 7.

The openings 28 and 29 in the elastic band L will pivotally support the drumsticks J and K near their upper ends. The inclined slots 32 and 33 in the side frame members 1 and 8 will incline the front portion of the elastic band L1 at the angle shown in FIGURE 7. The drumsticks are inserted through the openings 28 and 29 from the back of the front portion L1 in such a manner that they will incline the middle of the elastic band front portion L1 at an angle which is inclined to the plane of the slots 32 and 33. The elastic band front portion L1 tends to swing back into the plane of the slots 32 and 33 and therefore will exert a yielding swingable action on the drum-sticks J and K for swinging their lower ends against the face 41 of the drum M.

In FIGURE 7, I show an enlarged sectional view of the elastic band L and illustrate how the band supports the drumsticks. I further show the paddle F that projects downwardly from the main shaft D as engaging with the drumstick K for swinging this drumstick into the dot-dash line position shown in this figure. The shaft D is rotating in a clockwise direction in FIGURE 7 and when the lower paddle F clears the top of the drumstick K, the front rubber band portion L1 will instantly swing the drumstick in a clockwise direction about its pivot point 29 and will cause the head 35 thereof to strike the drum.

The section line 77 in FIGURE 4 is to the left of both pairs of paddles E and F and therefore both paddles are indicated in FIGURE 7. However, the paddle F is extending downwardly from the main shaft D and the top of the drumstick J shown in FIGURE 7 is broken away in order to disclose the top of the other drumstick K. It is this latter drumstick that is being engaged by the paddle F and the dot-dash line position of the drumstick K is illustrated as the furthermost swing of the drumstick before it is released by the paddle. There are four paddles and these will engage with the two drumsticks on two different occasions for each rotation of the main shaft D. The more rapid the windmill C is rotated by the air, the more rapid will be the rotation of the main shaft D and the louder the noise produced by the swinging drumsticks J and K.

It is possible to vary the degree of noise produced by the drumsticks or to free the drumstick from engagement with the paddles. If the elastic band L is moved upwardly in the slots 32 and 33 so as to raise the chamfered top ends of the drumsticks with respect to the paddles E and F, the drumsticks will be swung through greater arcs as they are engaged by the paddles and before they are freed and therefore they will strike the drum with greater force and produce a louder noise. If the operator wishes to disconnect the drumsticks J and K from being contacted by the paddles E and F, the elastic band L can be removed from the slots 32 and 33 and then the looped ends can be slid downwardly along the frame sides 1 and 8 until the upper ends of the drumsticks J and K clear the arcuate swing of the paddles E and F. A rotation of the windmill C and the main shaft D will rotate the paddles but they will not engage with the drumsticks to make a noise.

I claim:

1. A device of the type described comprising:

(a) a frame including two spaced apart side members,

each having an inclined slot therein;

(b) a shaft rotatably carried by said spaced apart members;

(c) a toy windmill operatively connected to said shaft for rotating it;

((1) a resilient pivot means including an endless rubber band having looped ends enclosing said side members with portions of the ends removably received in said slots;

(e) a drum carried by said frame;

(f) drumsticks carried by said rubber band and having their ends yieldingly held in contact with said drum by said band;

5 6 (g) paddles carried by said shaft and swung through a References Cited predetermined path when the shaft is rotated, the UNITED STATES PATENTS free ends of said drumsticks lying 1n the paths of said paddles so as to be intermittently struck thereby 330,681 11/1885 PP 46-191 during the rotation of said shaft to produce a noise 5 966,950 8/1910 Puha- 46-191 by said drum, said rubber band when slid free from 1,166,247 12/1915 Pachur said slots and advanced along said side members to l move the free ends of said drumsticks out of the LOUIS MANCENE Exammer' paths of said paddles, permitting said shaft to rotate R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. without efiecting movement of said drumsticks. 10 

